To ask the hon. Member for Berwick upon Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the equipment and staffing numbers available to the Fees Office.

The number and grades of staff in the Fees Office, as in other offices and Departments of the House, are periodically reviewed by the Staff Inspector; and his recommendations, and those of the Board of Management, are submitted for consideration by the Commission. The Staff Inspector has recently completed a review of the staffing complement of the Fees Office at the grade of higher executive officer and below. His report will be considered by the Commission in due course, after appropriate consultation with the relevant trade unions and management. Computers and similar equipment are supplied to the Fees Office on the basis of the needs identified by the Accountant and the Head of the Administration Department and on the advice of the Computer Officer. I am not aware of any inadequacies in the staffing and equipment of the Fees Office that are not currently being addressed through these well-established procedures.